Olivia Rice
}} '''Olivia Rice' (previously Stappord) is a supporting character on Devious Maids. She is the mentally-unstable ex-wife of Michael Stappord, having undergone severe anger problems when her husband left her for his "whore", Taylor. Ever since, she remained a constant, threatening presence in their lives, crashing Michael's birthday dinner and threatening to expose Taylor's unsavory past, all culminating in her hanging herself outside their home when she learned they're going to be having a baby - the one thing she could never provide. Ultimately she survived, unlike their baby, and she returned in two years' time with a plan in tow to unravel her ex-husband's marriage, going as far as to fake cancer. However, this ended with her being arrested for attempted murder, where she underwent a psych evaluation. Biography 'Early Life' At some point, Olivia marries Michael Stappord, a man with whom she's madly in love. As she is a famous interior designer, Olivia decorates their whole house, making her really proud of it. However, things begin to unravel over two decades of marriage when Olivia is unable to conceive a child with him, and Michael ends up having an affair with a prostitute by the name of Taylor. Because of this the two of them end up divorcing, but Michael feels incredibly guilty and is very submissive when it comes to the division of assets, giving Olivia most of what she wants including their beloved maid Lupe, to Taylor's deep annoyance. Despite the bitterness with which their marriage ended, Olivia remains deeply in love with her ex and prays for the day that he realizes he made a big mistake when he left her for a whore. 'Season 1 }} Taylor is upset over the fact that Michael won't let her redecorate her own house, in fear that it may offend Olivia. On top of this she is still sad that she lost Lupe to her husband's ex and now must settle for her new maid Marisol, whose advice she thinks very little of. At Michael's birthday dinner, Olivia enters without invitation and points out how fast he and their so-called friends have moved on since she's been gone, although she supposes they're all Taylor's friends now. Michael is confused as to why she's there and, with Taylor's insisting, tries to calmly talk her into leaving; Olivia soon reveals that she brought him a gift for his birthday - a crystal heart. She tells him to be careful with it, however, because she gave him her heart once before and he broke it. With that in mind, she completes the visual metaphor by throwing the crystal heart against the wall, causing it to shatter and making the scene she's causing all the more worse. This is the last straw for Marisol, who proceeds to manhandle Olivia and force her toward the door. She warns her not to fight back or else she will live to regret it, assuring the crazy middle-aged woman that her problems pale in comparison to so many others, not that she cares what problems a maid might have, because to the rich socialites of Beverly Hills... women like Marisol are just the people who open the door. Said door is slammed in Olivia's face, and the party guests applaud Marisol for how she handled the situation. }} Marisol goes shopping with Taylor, to prepare for a dinner party, and at the supermarket they run into Olivia. The latter apologizes to Marisol for the way she acted at Michael's birthday party, and Marisol accepts the apology, but urges her to apologize to Taylor as well. However, Olivia refuses to, and reveals that Taylor used to be a prostitute. Later, over drinks, Taylor explains to Marisol how she got into the sex trade business, and Marisol recommends that she tells Michael about Olivia's knowledge before the latter spreads it. Taylor requests that Marisol be by her side when she tells him. When they finally break the news to Michael, he decides that they all should leave to New York, an idea that doesn't please the women. Marisol later tells Michael that she can't move because of personal reasons, and suggests that she talk to Olivia and find out how she discovered the truth and what her intentions are. Later, Marisol stops by Olivia's with the pretext of bringing her some mail, and starts complaining about Taylor, hoping to engratiate herself to Michael's ex-wife. Olivia asks her in for tea, and Marisol tells Olivia that Taylor is terrified that she might tell people the truth, and that the Stappords want to move to New York. She then lies and tells the redhead that Michael is still in love with her and will probably want her back, so it's best for Olivia if they don't move. Olivia decides to write Taylor a letter to let her know she won't tell anyone. She then asks how Olivia found out about Taylor's past, and Olivia reveals that she was told by Evelyn Powell: apparently, Adrian hired Taylor to serve as a "gift" to his friends, a hobby of his... and he also hired Flora. }} After firing Marisol for being unable to keep her and Adrian's secrets, Evelyn is in dire need of a maid, with the agency having sent over the decrepit old Dong Mei who barely even speaks English. Olivia wonders why they couldn't send someone better, as she meets her friend for tea, and Evelyn reveals that she still receives attitude due to Flora's murder. This revelation frightens Dong Mei, who refuses to work in a house where an employee has already been killed, and Olivia watches amused as Evelyn chases the old Cantonese woman through the mansion trying to convince her of her safety. Later, Evelyn calls Olivia in tears and the latter leaves a meeting with her therapist in order to come comfort her, shocked to learn that the reason for her friend's distress is the fact that her brand new vacuum cleaner doesn't work. There is deeper meaning to this, however, for Evelyn soon breaks down with the exclamation that everybody leaves her, realizing that her problem is that she has too much spare time to spend in this big empty house which forces her to think about her life and how unhappy she really is. Olivia hugs her and assures her that she will get a fine new maid, and everything will be back on track after that. Evelyn then points out the irony of the situation: her life sucks, but her vacuum doesn't. }} Taylor and Michael are trying for a baby and the former worries that her husband might leave her if she can't get pregnant, just like he left Olivia. Marisol assures her boss that this won't happen because Michael adores her, but Taylor will feel more secure once she is sure she's fertile; as such, her maid offers to take her to a fertility clinic she's aware of where they run into Joan Fisher, a dear old friend of Olivia's who lies about a falling out they had. After learning that the Stappords are attempting to start a family, she phones Olivia who then appears in her ex-husband's kitchen, beginning to prepare her pot roast which he always loved. Marisol catches her there and Olivia demands to know why Michael is trying to impregnate that "slut" he's married to, for she is still under the impression that he loves her and wants her back, as is what Marisol told her when they last spoke. However, Marisol is forced to break to the lonely middle-aged woman that she lied about that, and she apologizes genuinely. Olivia refutes this though, because it's not enough to say "I'm sorry" when you've ruined someone's life. She then leaves in a distraught manner. }} Taylor is pregnant and everyone in the Stappord house is ecstatic; however, Taylor plans on telling people right away, worrying Michael because he fears how Olivia might react if she hears the news via gossip. He decides that the right thing to do is to tell her in person, and so he pays his ex-wife an amicable visit and breaks the revelation to her gently. She is devastated, and Michael suggests that she stop loving him and move on with her life, as he is moving on with his. But Olivia does not heed this advice - she shows up outside the Stappords' dinner party, which is being hosted to announce the pregnancy in a formal manner, with a rope in row. She looks up at a nearby tree branch and throws the rope over it. Before long, Marisol is shocked by a harrowing view out the window... Olivia is hanging by the neck in her love's garden, attempting suicide. The party guests are stunned and Michael works quickly to have her cut down, cradling her unconscious self in his arms as he does so and begging her not to leave him, while an ambulance is called. Taylor is upset by how emotional Michael appears at the prospect of Olivia's death; it is obvious that he still has feelings for her. Olivia survives her suicide attempt and is visited in the hospital often by Michael, to the dismay of Taylor. She worries about how much time the two of them are spending together and so Marisol advises her to accompany him on these visits in order to show her support and remind her husband of her presence; she does this. Season 3 With Taylor and Michael back in Beverly Hills with their new daughter, Katy, Olivia sets a plan in motion to break up the marriage and steal her husband back. She pays a married man, Sebastien Dussault, to approach Taylor in the park and sweet talk her, thus setting her up to have an affair. She takes the bait, to Olivia's glee, and sleeps with Sebastien. However, things soon get out of hand and this ends up causing the deaths of Louie Becker and Blanca Alvarez in order to keep things quiet. }} Marisol returns home to find Olivia Rice roaming her house, making a comment that she shouldn't leave her door open for all the nut jobs out there to just wander in. After replying that she was just thinking the same thing, Marisol asks Olivia what she's doing there, at which the first Mrs. Stappord reveals that she's looking for a reference for her new maid Jesse Morgan, which Marisol seems less than pleased to hear about. After seeing her reaction, Olivia concludes that he must be dreadful, and so she decides not to go through with hiring him after all. She proceeds to meet Evelyn Powell for a lunch date and her friend is busy worrying about the adoption agency maybe taking her new foster son Deion away if Adrian doesn't behave during an upcoming meeting. Olivia immediately suggests that Evelyn drug her husband, offering her a couple of her pills which provide a state of bliss for those who consume them. Evelyn accepts the pills while Olivia is asked by Marisol to meet with her; the two women do so and Marisol reveals that she lied the other day when she implied Jesse was a bad maid, for the truth is that he is her ex-maid as well as her ex-boyfriend and she feared that, with him being attracted to older women, he might try and seduce Olivia (the ''real truth is that she fears Jesse's safety while working for a crazy person such as Ms. Rice). Olivia is flattered but assures Marisol that she has nothing to worry about because she's in fact seeing someone - Michael, who's recently left Taylor, making her a single mother. She goes on to make a comment about Taylor's life falling apart, including something about her maid being murdered... but everyone believes her to have committed suicide. Due to this, Marisol suspects Olivia's involvement in Blanca's death, proceeding to tell an evermore-suspecting Rosie. Olivia later retires to her bedroom dressing table where she tells someone on the phone that the rest of their money should be coming soon, adding that she'll "take it from here" because they've done more than enough for her. She then shaves her head completely bald. }} Michael meets up with Marisol, shocking her with the news that he really has been seeing Olivia again, but what shocks her even more is the revelation that the first Mrs. Stappord is apparently sick with cancer. As the former maid suspects, Olivia is milking it for all it's worth, using her illness to get good seats in restaurants and to goad Michael into agreeing to move in with her, which her new maid Jesse is excited to hear about... until he discovers a burger wrapper in the trash can, knowing from personal experience with his father that cancer patients tend to have no appetite. Per Marisol's request, he proceeds to do a little snooping and discovers that Olivia is faking the whole thing. Olivia herself, meanwhile, visits Taylor's house while she's away and is horrified to see how her designer furniture has been desecrated. Marisol is stunned when faced with the truth about Olivia's "cancer", phoning Michael as soon as she can to tell him the truth, and he ends up confronting Olivia about what she's done. She points out that it merely proves how much she loves him, considering she shaved her head for him, but he makes it very clear that she is sick and twisted and that he will never come back to her - ever. Olivia is understandably devastated and opts to visit Marisol for the chance to explain herself. She reveals that she hired a man to seduce Taylor into having an affair so that she could destroy Michael's marriage and win him back (she in fact knows nothing of Blanca's murder and was just gossiping)... but Marisol destroyed the whole thing, and so now she has to kill her. She takes out a knife and attempts to stab the woman she thought was her friend; however, Jesse - who followed Olivia - suddenly jumps in the way, receiving a stab wound to the gut and giving Marisol enough time to subdue Olivia by smashing a lamp against her head, knocking her out. While Jesse is patched up in hospital, Olivia is arrested and put through a psych evaluation. '''Later Life After being sent to a mental hospital, Olivia's interior design business goes down. This gives one of her potential rivals, Gail Fleming, the opportunity to rise up with her own interior design business in Olivia's place.https://twitter.com/curtiskheel/status/738937734203510784 When Olivia learns Michael was killed by Sebastien, she has a huge breakdown. However, after some time she becomes crazy obsessed with someone else.https://twitter.com/curtiskheel/status/738934079567990784 Trivia *In an early script for the series' premiere, Olivia's surname was "Slate".http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Devious_Maids_1x01_-_Pilot.pdf Gallery This is a gallery of photographic stills released to promote the character. Promo 101 13.png Promo 101 14.png Promo 101 15.png Promo 101 16.png Promo 101 17.png Promo 101 18.png Promo 101 20.png Promo 101 21.png Promo 103 06.png Promo 103 05.png Promo 311 08.png Promo 311 09.png Promo 311 16.png Promo 311 17.png Promo 311 18.png Promo 311 19.png References Category:Supporting Characters Category:Season 1 Characters Category:Season 3 Characters